Some San Luis Obispo residents are pushing the city to scrap a planned pedestrian beacon at the intersection of South Street and King Court and replace it with a full traffic signal, citing safety concerns for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers navigating the area.
The number of pedestrian and bicycle accidents at the intersection prompted the city to act, but a public hearing on whether to upgrade the plan is now on the agenda for the next City Council meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, June 16.
Residents raised concerns after learning the intersection could become even more difficult to navigate.
Roberta Smith, a longtime resident, addressed the City Council at its last meeting.
"I've been a resident of this city for 78 years. Consequently, I've had plenty of time navigating the streets of our beautiful city," Smith said
Residents, in unison at the June 2 City Council meeting, voiced concerns that a “pedestrian beacon crosswalk” was planned to be installed, rather than their original hope for a traffic signal to help vehicles exit their neighborhood. This style of crosswalk stops all traffic immediately; however, it also allows drivers to proceed with caution at their own discretion. Residents are concerned this will cause even more slowed-down traffic on South Street, further clogging the area and preventing them from turning left.
The City has now announced that the matter is formally scheduled to be part of the next meeting, which includes a Public Hearing. Details can be found on the agenda HERE.
“All the residents of Parkside townhomes and The Villages have only one way in, and one way out," Smith said.
Nearby resident Michael Leibovich said speeding is a serious concern in the area.
"Not just a little too fast, but fast enough that I feel it in my body when I am standing next to our three-year-old in our front yard," Leibovich said.
Leibovich described the need for improvements as a matter of public safety.
Statistics KSBY pulled in a prior report by reporter Karson Wells indicated that at this intersection between 2015 and 2023, there were 214 pedestrian and 323 cyclist collisions.
David Oyster, who uses a motorized scooter, said crossing the street is a constant source of anxiety.
"I'm always afraid I'm gonna get run over,” Oyster told KSBY
At the last City Council meeting, Mayor Erica A. Stewart listened to public comment and asked staff to look into whether it was feasible to skip the beacon and move forward with a full traffic signal instead. Because the item was not on the agenda, she could not discuss or debate the matter with her elected colleagues at that time.
"I just want to let you know that one of the things that's hard is that people put in public comment, but because it's not on the agenda, we can't discuss it up here, but there are staff members in the audience who may come and chat," Stewart said.
The city's fire chief also supports the change.
"Our engineering team is now working to take that to council and get approval to convert that to a full intersection, as soon as possible," San Luis Obispo Fire Chief Randy Harris told KSBY.
City Manager Whitney McDonald signaled the city is moving quickly.
"We are hearing the desire for this to happen quickly,” McDonald said to Mayor Stewart at the last meeting.
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